


Just Wanna Be Near You

by Fireborn



Series: Re⊕Collect verse [2]
Category: Kingdom Hearts (Video Games)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Cuddles, First Kiss, Getting Together, Intimacy, M/M, Pining Sora, Post-Canon, Sharing a Bed, soft boys in love, soft but a little sad in the beginning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-20
Updated: 2020-08-06
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:22:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,899
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25399843
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fireborn/pseuds/Fireborn
Summary: Five times Sora initiates cuddles with Riku, and one time Riku initiates cuddles with Sora.
Relationships: Riku/Sora (Kingdom Hearts)
Series: Re⊕Collect verse [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1839610
Comments: 78
Kudos: 225





	1. white

**Author's Note:**

> This is a companion fic to my Re⊕Collect zine fic ["Lessons of Love"](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25709464). Please read that one first, and then come back here for soft soriku cuddles, a first kiss and more :)
> 
> Thank you, Paion, for the beta!!!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A first cuddle, born out of desperation and need.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Takes place immediately post-Shibuya, in a makeshift Radiant Garden hospital room.

The world came back to Sora in dim lights and distant beeping and _pain_ in every cell of his body. For several long moments, he wasn’t able to do anything other than lie and breathe air into his burning lungs, his mind floating somewhere above all conscious thought. After handfuls of rapid heartbeats too fast against his ribcage, shadows flitted behind his closed eyelids, but he knew somehow that these weren't the bad kind of shadows.

He should have been scared, maybe, because none of this made any sense. But through the pain and his hazy unfocused thoughts, there was a _feeling_ , something that he had no idea how to name, but it was peaceful and calming and warm. Echoes of a golden light that he wanted to cup in his hands as gently as he would a baby turtle lost on the beach.

It was the memory of that light that eventually gave him the strength to open his eyes.

There was white all around him, and light grey shadows dancing across the ceiling. There was daylight and artificial fluorescent light, and both were bright, but not as bright as the light he remembered from his dreams.

His eyes flicked towards his right—a window with white fluttering curtains and beyond the window, tree branches with the first colour he saw: green leaves.

He was so tired. Even turning his head a little seemed to have taken half of the strength in his body. _Where am I? What happened?_ The last thing he remembered was fighting Yozora and _losing_ , the fear as he felt his body falling backwards and turning to crystal. The name that had died unspoken on his lips: _Riku_.

He used the other half of his strength to turn his face to the left, and the smile came to him unbidden, surprising him in its swiftness and magnitude. All of the questions faded in the wake of what he beheld. 

Somehow he had thought he'd be alone here, but he _wasn't_.

_Riku…_

Sora’s heart contracted—paused for two-three-four seconds—before starting its fluttery rhythm again. He didn’t recognise the feeling that washed over him: relief, longing, comfort, friendship; all things he associated with Riku.

The pain suddenly no longer mattered; he'd bear it gladly, forever, if it meant he got to be here with his best friend. His breath hitched and suddenly there was wetness pooling in his lashes. He refused to close his eyes though, stopped by the irrational thought that if he blinked, Riku would disappear.

He'd dreamt about Riku. Had it been a dream? Everything was hazy, and the longer he tried to remember, the more profound the pain in his head became. He'd dreamt and dreamt until it seemed he had summoned his best friend into a cold world of neon lights and crystals. But he didn't remember much else.

And now they were here. Wherever here was.

From the corner of his eye, Sora saw a machine with green numbers, and he realised that was what was making the beeping sounds. When he tried to move his arm to roll onto his side so he could look at Riku better, he realised there was a needle inside the curve of his left elbow. It didn't hurt, but his eye was drawn to it anyway. There was a tube attached to the needle, which was attached to an IV pole. 

The tears in his eyes made his sight blurry, so eventually, he had to blink.

Riku was still there after, and Sora heaved in another dry, painful breath. There was a white sheet carefully smoothed over Riku's body, up to his collarbones, and he also had an IV pole and a tube into his body, the same as Sora. His face was as pale white as the sheet covering him, but he was breathing evenly, and his silver hair reflected all the white light around them, making him radiate even as he was deep asleep.

“Riku…”

Sora barely recognised his own voice, softer than he'd meant, a dry rasp in his throat and mouth, adding another layer of pain to his body.

Yet at that one word, something shifted in the air, and between one breath and the next, Riku's eyelids quivered.

Sora struggled into an upright position for a better look, only half-mindful of the tube in his arm. 

“Riku,” he said again, a little louder, as if his mere voice would be enough to call the other boy awake—

—and maybe it could, because Riku's head turned towards the sound of Sora's voice, and this time, Sora had to reach up his right hand to rub across his eyes with the back of his fingers to clear his vision of tears.

Riku's eyes slowly drifted open, and as Sora watched, his face softened into what could barely be called a smile, but Sora knew it was one anyway.

“Riku.” He'd say his name forever.

“Sora.”

“You saved me.”

Riku didn't answer; he was blinking, his gaze never wavering from Sora's face, 

“Again,” Sora added.

“Sora…” Riku's voice was just as hoarse—just how long had they been asleep? “Sora, I will _always_ save you.”

The warm feeling from earlier pooled deep in Sora's stomach, tingling all over his skin, and he was helpless against the tears that just kept coming. Even though he'd just woken up from what could only have been a very long sleep, he was so tired and unable to stop crying.

“Scared…” he mumbled, wanting to look away but finding himself captivated by the intensity in Riku's eyes.

“What?” Riku asked.

“I was so scared. I remember fading. I remember fighting and losing. I remember… fighting as my body turned to crystal and I couldn't _stop_ it. I remember calling for you in my mind, because… Because even though I don't deserve it, you _always_ save me.”

“N-no,” Riku started. “Sora…”

“I don’t wanna be scared anymore.”

“Sora. You deserve _everything_.”

Sora started crying for real now, sobs coming from deep inside of him, his shoulders shaking as he bowed his head. His heart was telling him to go to Riku; everything inside Sora just wanted to be near him. There was a fear in him that he instinctively knew would be quelled by being _closer_ to Riku.

He looked up and that same fear reflected in Riku's eyes.

Sora couldn't remember the last time he'd lain in the same bed as Riku, but he wanted that now. Wanted it more than he'd ever wanted anything, the comfort, the reassurance, Riku's heartbeat pressed to his own.

“Come here?” Riku whispered, phrased between a plea and a question that Sora barely heard over the sound of his thundering heart.

 _Yes_.

He skidded over to the edge of his bed. The IV pole was mobile, and Sora looked down at himself to see even his clothes were white: soft trousers and a shirt that had a line of silver buttons down the front.

His feet hit the—white—floor, and he took the IV pole in a shaky hand to shuffle the distance between the two beds in the room. Riku moved back across his mattress to make space, pulling the covers back for Sora to slide in with him. 

Riku was mindful of the tubes, making sure they wouldn't get caught underneath their limbs or torsos, though Sora didn't much care. They were on their sides, facing each other, barely three inches between them.

Sora realised belatedly that he wasn’t crying anymore. The fear in him had lessened to just a tiny rabbit trembling inside his chest. With Riku so close, his breath warm in the space between them, his eyes soft and shiny, his chest falling and rising slowly, Sora felt more at peace than he had for a very, very long time.

He smiled, and Riku smiled back.

Still, despite their closeness like this, it wasn’t _enough_.

“Can I…” Sora paused, and he struggled to find the words around this _need_ that coiled itself inside of him like a clingy cat refusing to let him go.

Riku waited patiently, a soft hum on his lips.

“Can I touch you?”

In reply, Riku lifted his arm from where it was resting on the mattress between them, making space for Sora in the dip of the mattress, and Sora didn't waste a single second. He reached out and curled an arm around Riku's waist, using it as leverage to pull both of them flush together.

He felt rather than heard Riku sigh, and then his ear was over Riku's chest, and suddenly everything else fell away in full—his fear, the pain in his body, the confusion, the insecurities. He curled his right hand against Riku's back and clenched the front of Riku's shirt to pull him even closer. 

There was a beat, and then Riku's arms were around him in return, holding him tight and safe. Riku's body was so _warm_. Firm, but soft in all the right places, strong even when they were lying in a makeshift hospital bed. Beneath the scent of antiseptic, Riku smelled like sea salt and paopu, and everything about him was comforting beyond words.

Sora felt Riku curl himself all around Sora, heard him inhale with his face pressed in Sora's hair, and the intimacy of that made his throat clench and his eyes sting once more. All his senses were _Riku_ , on his tongue, in his lungs, on his skin, in his ears.

“If you turn around, with your back to me,” Riku muttered. “It'll be easier with the tubes.”

But Sora wasn't moving for anything right now. This way, he could hear Riku's heartbeat, and feel all of him best. He tightened his hold on Riku even more.

"No,” he said simply.

“Okay.” Riku's hand weaved itself into the tangled hair at the back of Sora's head, softly stroking. “Okay.”

They stayed like that until the door creaked open, by which time Sora had fallen back into a dreamless, healing sleep.


	2. are you asleep?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first night back at the Mysterious Tower, Sora finds he can't sleep.

Sora was _excited_ when he pushed open the heavy wooden door to their Mysterious Tower bedroom. This room was the closest thing he’d had to a home in years, and now he got to be here for the next few weeks _with Riku_.

After waking up, they'd stayed in Radiant Garden for a week, spending all their time (both waking and sleeping) together. Kairi had said they were “joined at the hip". Sora had just cocked his head and shrugged with the shoulder of his free arm (his other arm was pressed against Riku's, their hands joined underneath the covers).

But a week was not nearly enough time to catch up with Riku, and Sora was excited to go explore the Tower and the Tower grounds. He'd never really had the time for that before, always rushing this way and that. Some part of him was even excited for the lessons that Master Yen Sid had arranged for them.

“What's Fairy Godmother like?” Sora asked, sitting down on his mahogany bed, looking at the posters on his side of the room: the Twilight Town clock tower, a pirate ship, and a field full of pink and yellow flowers in Corona. Then he glanced over towards the stack of books on the desk, his gaze lingering on the framed picture that Goofy had taken of Riku and him, right after the Mark of Mastery. Riku was looking mostly flustered in it, but Sora was beaming hard enough for both of them.

“She's really kind,” Riku said softly. “She and I talked all night, before I went off on my journey to find you. You'll like her.”

“Really?” Sora asked, watching Riku settle down on his own bed.

“Yeah.” Riku smiled. “And she'll like you, too.”

“You think so?”

“Sora, everyone likes you.”

Sora felt his face heat up for a reason he couldn't really put into words, so he just smiled through his burning cheeks and let himself fall backwards, staring up at the ceiling. There was a small magical mobile hanging next to the window, with one small orb for each of the worlds Sora and Riku had visited. Every time he came back from an adventure, more orbs would be there, but he'd never really had the time to tell Riku all about them.

Maybe he would finally have that time, now.

That night, even though Sora was tired from the painkillers Ienzo had prescribed them and running around through the Tower hallways all afternoon, he couldn't sleep. In Radiant Garden, he'd slept in Riku's hospital bed every night. No one had commented on that, and even though it had been a little cramped and their knees sometimes knocked together, falling asleep to the sound of Riku's heartbeat had been _easy_.

But now he was in his own bed, and his breathing and his heart rate were both just a little bit too fast to be comfortable. When he was sleeping next to Riku, he could pretend that even if he were to disappear again, Riku would disappear with him. It wouldn't be so bad to go somewhere cold and scary, if he was with _Riku_. But alone… He never wanted to be alone anymore. Alone, he was afraid.

Sora held his breath for long moments, trying to listen for the sound of Riku's breathing from the other side of the room. Riku's breaths were like Sora's: too fast and too loud.

“Riku?” Sora asked, barely a whisper, because maybe Riku wasn't awake after all. “Are you asleep?”

Their sleepovers as kids had always been like this. Riku's mom would put an inflatable mattress in Riku's room, next to Riku's bed, but Sora had always asked “are you asleep?” and then crawled into Riku's bed a little after lights-out. And they held hands in the cramped space between them, and it was too hot and too sweaty, but it was the highlight of every sleepover regardless.

When they were in Sora's bedroom, Sora's parents didn't even bother with a second mattress; Sora's mom just tucked both of them into Sora's bed at night and read them stories until Sora fell asleep with his head on Riku's shoulder.

“I'm not asleep,” Riku answered, just as quietly.

“Can I sleep in your bed?”

“Yes,” Riku answered, a little louder.

Relief and delight rushed through Sora in equal amounts, and he rushed to throw his covers back and padded barefoot across the low-pile carpet. When he got to Riku's bed, Riku was already holding open the covers, so Sora wasted no time in slipping beneath them. In contrast with how he'd slipped into Riku's hospital bed and had needed a few moments and a question in order to press close, right now Sora slid into Riku's personal space immediately. Riku immediately gathered him even closer, his arms tight around Sora's waist, and it was all Sora could do not to cry.

He'd never known how to describe how Riku smelt, familiar and comforting, but right now he knew: _home_.

Riku's shirt was threadbare, soft from having been washed so many times, and Sora felt his breathing settle down to a normal rate, listening to the strong and calming thump-thump-thump of Riku's heart. When Sora exhaled, Riku inhaled, and their rhythms automatically synced up.

And then Riku's hand started to move, slowly stroking up Sora's shirt, across the dip in his spin, between his shoulder blades, and toying with the hairs at the back of Sora's neck. In turn, Sora pressed his hands flat to Riku's back, rubbing his thumbs against the curved edges of Riku's shoulder blades.

“You're so nice and warm,” Sora sighed.

Riku didn't answer.

Sora hooked one calf over Riku's, entangling their legs and making sure that even if he did disappear, Riku would know immediately. And Riku would save him again, Sora _knew_. He didn't think he'd ever felt as peaceful as right now, all the fear and anxiety slipping into the mattress below.

When Sora turned his head a little, he could see the shadows of the mobile gently moving across the wall. Riku twisted a little so he was on his back, Sora half-lying across his chest, and Sora let himself be pulled close, _closer_. Just Riku's presence was enough to soothe every fear he had. His thoughts started going hazy as he relaxed, slowly drifting off to sleep.

But there was something important he had to say, first.

“Riku?” he mumbled, the syllables slurring together.

Riku hummed encouragingly, and Sora felt the rumbling of that sound echoing in his own chest.

“You’re my best friend.”

When Riku didn't reply for long moments, Sora started worrying he'd said something wrong. Or maybe Riku didn't like cuddling together after all? Maybe it was _weird_? Were they too old for this now?

He felt Riku pressing his face into Sora's hair, and he heard a sharp intake of breath, followed by a soft noise. Sora waited, trying not to squirm and also trying to breathe through the hot feeling in his chest.

Just when Sora was really starting to worry, Riku exhaled, long and slow. When he spoke up next, his voice was hoarse, as if he'd been shouting for too long.

“You're my best friend, too, Sora…”

At those whispered words, Sora relaxed again, a smile coming to his lips.

Then, he felt one of Riku's hands come up to stroke the bangs away from his forehead, and Riku gently tilted his head a little. Before Sora could think too much about it, he felt Riku press a kiss to his forehead.

Sora made a happy little sound, his smile widening subconsciously. He fell asleep to the lingering feeling of lips, and the unspoken promise that came with it.


	3. by your side

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that the desperate need to hold Riku close had disappeared, Sora found he was possibly even more eager to cuddle with Riku.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Takes place after Fairy Godmother’s first lesson.

After that first night at the Tower, one week ago, they had come to the unspoken decision that Sora wouldn’t sleep in his own bed at night. During the day, he sprawled on it to read or play around with his gummiphone, either aiming for new game high scores or watching the pictures and movies that everyone regularly posted to Kingstagram. (Sora took great pleasure in figuring out the perfect combination of emojis to reply to each post. It was also a lot of fun to see everyone else’s replies to the pictures he posted multiple times a day; the latest had been a selfie with Riku and Fairy Godmother from earlier today. It had gotten a lot of likes.) 

This morning they’d had Fairy Godmother’s first lesson, and Sora had been in high spirits ever since. Riku had been right: Fairy Godmother was kind and she made little jokes and smiled a lot, and she explained things in such a way that Sora _understood_. And even the few times that he didn’t, he didn’t feel stupid for asking things. The first time a question had slipped out of his mouth, he’d frozen a little, half-expecting a sigh or a brusque comment in return. Instead, Fairy Godmother had just answered his question patiently, and Riku had smiled at him so softly that the anxious feeling went away as quickly as it had come.

It had been over two years since Sora had been to school, and he’d been a little nervous beforehand. But now he’d decided this kind of school was nice.

Fairy Godmother also promised she wouldn’t give them any homework, which had left Sora and Riku with the entire afternoon to explore the grounds; they’d even found a clearing behind the Tower to spar in. They went easy on each other—it was more like practice than a proper spar—but it had been the first time Sora had held his keyblade since he came back, and it had been _nice_ to clash blades with Riku. Just for fun, with teasing grins and banter back and forth. He’d missed that, too. He’d missed so many things about Riku… 

Sora yawned and glanced at the time on the phone screen. It was only a little before nine. He wasn’t really sure if he was _actually_ tired, or if he just was eager for bedtime because it meant he could cuddle with Riku. Over the past week, they’d gone to bed early each night, Sora feigning exhaustion and Riku going along with it without question.

With a sigh, Sora glanced over to where Riku was reading his novel—something with knights and dragons and swords—and he leaned his head on his elbow, gummiphone forgotten. He smiled, just looking at Riku for a bit and enjoying the way the twilight seeped in through the window and made his silver hair glow bright like a halo. They never closed the curtains, not even at night, because Sora didn’t really like darkness. He supposed Riku didn’t either.

All of Riku’s attention was on his book, even though it was getting darker and darker outside. Sora could see he was beginning to squint in the twilight. Even though the sun never shone on Master Yen Sid’s little world, the sky did go from a little dark during the day to very dark at night.

“Riku?”

Riku started and glanced up, his face immediately softening again when he caught sight of the look on Sora’s face.

“Do you wanna go to bed early tonight?” Sora tried not to pout, but he knew he was failing a little.

“Okay,” Riku said simply, and he replaced the bookmark before he closed his book and got up to go into the bathroom.

Sora listened to the by now familiar sounds of running water, spitting out toothpaste, then the flushing toilet. The sounds had become almost as comforting as Riku’s continuous presence.

“Your turn,” Riku said when he came out again, wearing his sleep shirt and shorts. 

Sora rushed through his own nighttime routine, eager to be done and curl up next to Riku. Riku was smiling when Sora slipped into his bed a few minutes later.

The desperate _need_ to hold Riku tightly had faded to just a small thrum underneath Sora’s skin, night by night and day by day. Riku was still here. _Sora_ was still here. He was safe and he wouldn’t disappear again. He told himself over and over, and _Riku_ told him over and over, until the fear and anxiety inside of Sora had lessened and all but faded away. So instead of rolling into Riku’s embrace, he just put a hand on Riku’s hip to feel the warm skin, a gentle reminder of the fact that he was alive and well. He was here. They were here.

The open curtains bathed the room in star and moonlight, more comforting than any nightlight the tower could have presented them with. On top of that, it provided Sora with just enough light so he could look at Riku, see the shine in his eyes, the shadows on his face. Riku looked back, his eyes shifting minutely as his face softened into that smile that Sora loved so much. No one smiled at Sora the way Riku did.

That thought sent his heart racing a little, having so much attention so intently focused on _him_. He fought the urge to squirm. He wasn’t even sure _why_ he felt so giddy all of a sudden, other than the fact that Riku’s attention on him was nice, and that Riku’s eyes were _really_ pretty like this. His hair, too. All of Riku was really pretty. That thought made it hard to breathe for a second, and he wasn’t sure what to make of it.

To distract himself, he rolled onto his belly, into Riku’s space with one arm slung across Riku’s waist, and started talking.

Talking was easier when he didn’t have to look at Riku, just letting the words spill from his lips, into Riku’s shirt. And Sora talked. He talked about all the worlds he’d visited, and all the people he’d met. He’d sent Riku selfies during his last journey, of course, and hastily typed messages on the gummiphone, but they’d never felt relaxed enough to sit down and talk. And _listen_. Sora never lifted his head, content to talk with his lips moving across the soft cotton of Riku’s shirt. He knew somehow that Riku was looking up at the mobile on the ceiling, could picture the way his eyes would follow the spinning planets on their golden strings.

He talked about how bad Donald was at flying the gummiship, even though he refused to admit it, but how he made up for it by giving Sora the coolest outfits in every world with his world magic. He talked about how all three of them would slide down Arendelle mountains or the backstreets in Port Royal on Goofy’s shield, and how Goofy had helped him make a flower crown in Corona. He talked about fighting, about the different keyblades he was able to summon, how to bend them to his will and shift from one form into the next. How his magic had gotten so good he could summon attractions or build all the small Thunder spells into a massive Thundaza spell, wiping out an entire clearing of Heartless in a single second. How he got scared sometimes, but Donald and Goofy would know when he did, and they’d tell him to keep going, that it’d be okay. The King and Riku would be okay.

Then, even though it was hard, Sora talked about what he remembered from after defeating Master Xehanort once and for all. How all he could think about was getting Kairi back. He didn’t know what had come over him when he said he needed to go off alone. Just that all the memories that didn’t have _Kairi_ in it were suddenly hazy, as if they’d been secured into a locked room that hadn’t been of his own making. None of them, not even Ienzo and Naminé, had figured out what had happened with Sora’s memory between the Keyblade Graveyard and getting back from Shibuya, but Naminé had confirmed that things had been messed up, twisted, and were only now slowly getting untangled again.

He _had_ gotten Kairi back, and he was proud of that. But he wasn’t proud of how he’d forgotten all about his other friends, about _Riku_ , in the process.

Finally, when Sora had run out of words, Riku was silent for a long time. Sora knew he wasn’t asleep, Riku’s heart was racing too fast for that, so he waited patiently—even though it was difficult.

Finally, Riku inhaled shakily. “Let me go with you next time.”

“What?” Sora said, more out of surprise than because he hadn’t heard right.

“Don’t go off alone anymore, without me. Let me go with you.” 

“You’d… want that?”

“I always wanna be by your side. I don’t wanna be apart again.”

“Riku…” Sora had said Riku’s name a million times before, but it had never come out like this. Too rough, too many emotions rolled into it.

“Sora…” Riku’s voice was rough, too.

Then, after a long moment of trying to gather himself, Sora smiled.

“I really want that, too.” He sighed wistfully, already picturing what it would be like to travel with _Riku_ by his side. “With you there, we’d be unstoppable. And we’d have so much fun!”

He pushed himself up on his elbows. Their eyes met. A week ago, Riku had pressed a kiss to Sora’s forehead, and that had made Sora feel really special and pleasantly warm. This time, without further thought, he leaned down to press his lips to Riku’s cheek. Then he buried himself back into Riku’s embrace, feeling a little giddy and breathless.

Riku’s arms had come up to wrap around Sora’s waist some time during Sora’s monologue, but now he squeezed tighter in reply. The blankets were wrapped securely around them, enveloping them like a burrito; Riku must have tucked both them in more while Sora was distracted talking. Sora felt like his chest was glowing with happiness. Riku was warm and solid below him, and everything felt so _nice_.

When Riku started stroking soothing circles against Sora’s lower back, Sora sighed. Any remaining tension in his body bled out of him instantly as he succumbed to the feelings Riku’s touches invoked in him. This was… _really_ nice. He felt himself sliding towards sleep, but right when he was about to doze off, Riku’s thumb brushed underneath his shirt.

Instead of tensing up at the contact, Sora instantly relaxed even more, letting out a little breath of contentment against Riku’s collarbone. 

Through his hazy, sleepy thoughts, Sora wondered. He hadn’t questioned it before—the thought hadn’t even occurred to him. He’d just wanted to be close to Riku, and Riku had let him and hugged and touched him back every single time. But suddenly he was struck by the idea of how _intimate_ they had become, how easily they wordlessly fit into each other’s space and touched each other. How he got to be close to Riku in a way he wasn’t close to anyone… and didn’t _want_ to be.

He didn’t want this with anyone else, and he didn’t want anyone else to know about this. This was just for him and Riku.

That thought put a faint smile on his face as he finally slipped into sleep.


	4. boyfriends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Suddenly cuddling with Riku in bed is _more_ , now that they’re boyfriends…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Takes places immediately after the ending of part 1, ["Lessons of Love"](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25709464).

After their mutual confessions and the tight hug in the classroom this morning, the rest of the day had passed in a wonderful blur. They had taken the train to Twilight Town and walked around hand in hand. They’d watched movies in the outdoor cinema and walked all the way over to Sunset Hill, where they sat down and ate the sandwiches they’d brought.

And all the while, Sora was thinking… Riku is my _boyfriend_. He’s my boyfriend. And I’m his. 

‘ _Boyfriend._ ’ 

What a good word.

The butterflies had not ceased their fluttering. Every time they calmed down a little, he only had to look at Riku, and they’d take flight again. But it was _nice_. Now that he knew what it was, what it meant. Being in _love_. It was so nice.

It was even nicer that Riku kept _smiling_ all day. Riku had smiled more and more over the past weeks, relaxing into their new rhythm, into all their new rituals and pastimes, wrapping his head around the idea that Sora was really there, at his side, almost 24/7.

But nothing compared to the way Riku was smiling _now_ , his eyes crinkling and his teeth showing, and his entire face just… lighting up. Sora couldn’t get enough of it.

Throughout the day, there was a kind of tension between them, an electricity that rivalled the butterflies in his stomach. Every time Riku brushed his thumb over the back of Sora’s hand, or when he reached out to wipe a smudge off Sora’s cheek… All things Riku had done before, but now it meant _more_ , and something warm coiled deep in Sora’s belly.

It built and built, and everything came to a head that night when Sora climbed into Riku’s bed as he’d now done dozens of times before. He cuddled closer, draping himself over Riku just like before, and Riku wrapped his arms around Sora, just like before.

But while everything was exactly the same, simultaneously everything felt different, too. Sora’s skin was tingling with anticipation, but for what, he couldn’t tell. He felt warmer, giddier, and no matter how much he tried, he couldn’t stop sighing and wiggling a little.

Finally, Riku let him go, bringing his hands to Sora’s face instead, gently lifting his head from Riku’s chest so they could look at each other.

“Are you okay?”

Sora didn’t know how to answer. He didn’t _feel_ okay, but he also didn’t feel _bad_. And Riku was looking at him so intently, with a concern that sent a tiny spark of heat down Sora’s spin, and suddenly it felt like he couldn’t breathe.

They weren’t closer than any of the other times they’d cuddled, but Sora was acutely aware of _how_ close their faces were. How warm Riku was, pressed everywhere against him. How nice he smelt, like pine trees and cinnamon. Sora suddenly felt so overwhelmed he forgot to blink, forgot to breathe, forgot everything that existed apart from the boy underneath him.

He could feel Riku’s heart thumping against his own, both of them a nervous, jittery rhythm.

“Breathe, Sora,” Riku whispered.

And Sora did, gulping in a deep breath, breaking the silence.

And he didn’t know what made him do it, but he tilted his head down a bit, and Riku lifted his chin and shifted a little closer across the pillow, and then their mouths touched.

It lasted for just a few seconds, it was just their lips brushing, their noses bumping, it was _clumsy_ , but Sora’s chest burst with a million joyful feelings. 

He felt warm and giddy like the very first time he’d rowed over to the play island all on his own when he was five. His arms had been burning, his hands red and raw and already blistering, but he’d been filled with _so_ much happiness—and Riku had been there to hug him when Sora climbed onto the wooden deck and beamed up at him.

The kiss felt like that.

When Sora pulled back, just an inch or two, the giddiness amplified a thousandfold, and he squirmed in Riku’s arms, unable to keep his body under control. Riku smiled at him, so bright and unguarded, and his arms tightened around Sora.

Sora was trembling a little, and a million thoughts were racing through his brain. His eyes flicked from Riku’s lips to his eyes and back again. He wanted… He _could_ , probably… 

“Can I kiss you again?”

Riku nodded, his eyes wide and shining so brightly. Sora loved him _so much_.

Their second kiss was just as wonderful. Longer, too. Sora brought up his hands to slide into Riku’s hair, rolling over a little so he was fully on top of Riku. Tilting his head meant he could press a little harder, their lips slotting so nicely against each other, and tremors were racing up and down his spine.

Riku made a little sound like a whimper, and okay, yeah. They were never gonna do anything other than this again. Every moment, everywhere. Sora wanted this forever.

Eventually though, he pulled away, a little regretful but mostly happy and satisfied. Part of him had known that becoming boyfriends would eventually lead to kissing, but he hadn’t known how _incredible_ it would be.

“I wanna do this all the time,” he let slip between little pants for air.

“Me too.” Riku smiled again, and this time his lips were a little redder, a little puffy.

_I did that_ , Sora thought, and he squirmed again.

Then he pressed himself into the spaces of Riku’s body that were made especially for him, and focused on calming down his racing heart.

For the first time since they’d started sleeping in the same bed, Sora had trouble falling asleep. But it wasn’t for fear of nightmares or disappearing.

It was for happiness.


	5. revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One week after their confession, Sora has a revelation.

Fairy Godmother came back for a final lesson to round off everything she had taught them. When Riku and Sora walked through the doorway, so close their shoulders were brushing, she took one long look at them and gave both of them the brightest, proudest smile Sora had ever seen on her.

“I don't think you need my lessons anymore,” she said with a wink. “You've learned all I can teach you.”

And afterwards she'd hugged both of them tightly, and made them promise to visit as soon as they were allowed to go off-world again.

Master Yen Sid wanted them at the tower for at least a week longer, just to ensure they'd be healthy enough to drive the gummiship to Radiant Garden for their final check-up. Normally, Sora would have grumbled and sulked a little at having to wait another _week_ to go on a new adventure, but honestly, he was too preoccupied with the fact that Riku was no longer just his best friend, but also his _boyfriend_. There was really no reason to complain in light of _that_. 

They slept in until late morning every day, Sora not having slept so deeply and so well in… well, _years_ , probably. No Donald to wake him up when he banged the spoon inside the metal pot too loudly while making porridge for breakfast. And if it wasn't Donald, it'd be Goofy. Even after they'd gotten separate tents for each of them, Sora still woke when Goofy stumbled out of his and tripped over a backpack or his shoes with a loud ' _Gawrsh_ '.

No nightmares, either.

Sora hadn't realised how often he'd had nightmares, and how vivid and _real_ they had been, until they stopped.

And it wasn't just sleeping together that made Sora the happiest he'd ever been. It was everything. Reaching for Riku, and knowing Riku would open his arms for a hug or to pet his hair. Holding Riku's hand on the train or when they strolled across the grounds, watching movies together on the worn sofa in the Tower's living room, a bowl of popcorn snug between their thighs. 

_Kissing_ Riku. Kissing Riku was maybe his favourite pastime these days.

After the confession, the confusion Sora had felt for so long lifted like fog on the mountains when the sun began to shine through, leaving in its wake Sora's newfound ability to _read_ Riku. He was a little surprised he hadn't noticed any of it before, because it was all so _obvious_ now.

Sora replayed all of his Riku memories in his mind, a slow-motion movie of all the moments Riku had held himself back. The dozens of times he'd clenched his fist instead of reaching for Sora, the times he'd pressed his lips together instead of speaking the first thought that came into his head. How even now, Riku would hold himself back.

It was always _Sora_ who initiated hugs and cuddles and kisses, but Sora knew, he _felt_ it in his heart, that Riku wanted the contact between them, too. One sign was that Riku barely hesitated anymore when reaching _back_ for Sora. Or that Sora would catch him staring sometimes, mouth half-open and eyes full of wonder. Or how he opened his mouth so willingly when Sora licked across his lips and their tongues touched, and Riku would make a sound between a sigh and a moan that Sora wanted to replay in his mind forever. 

Riku may not feel confident enough yet to reach for Sora, but Sora had made it his mission to ensure that Riku would never want for hugs and touches and kisses again.

He'd also discovered with glee that he didn't even need to wait until bedtime. This new stage in their relationship meant he could touch Riku _all_ the time.

So when Sora was lounging, sprawled across the length of the entire living room sofa— aimlessly chatting with Kairi and Naminé on his gummiphone, missing Riku already even though he'd only gone to the kitchen to make them both iced tea—a thought popped into his head.

When Riku came back, Sora drew up his legs to make space for him on the sofa, placing his feet back into Riku's lap once he'd sat down, tea in hand. He looked at Riku's profile for a few seconds, letting the gummiphone drop to the carpet with a distant thud. He watched the soft swell of Riku's cheeks, the straight line of his nose. The way his bangs were getting longer again, partly covering the green of his eyes until he'd swipe them to the side absentmindedly.

Riku's lips were curled around the straw of his iced tea, and Sora was for one second irrationally _jealous_ of that straw.

So he struggled for a second to get himself into a seated position, leaned eagerly into Riku's space and took the glass to set it down on the coffee table behind them. Then he plopped himself into Riku's lap and slid his arms around Riku's neck.

Riku paused for the barest of seconds before his lips curled up into a smirk that set Sora's heart racing, and then he placed both his hands, warm and gentle, on the curve of Sora's back.

This part was still new and exciting. They’d only really been pressed this close when they were lying in bed, under the cover of twilight, but now all the lights were on, and Sora could see every emotion that flickered across Riku’s face. Surprise, tenderness, longing. It was almost too much for Sora to handle, having that look directed at _him_ , so he pressed himself closer, squeezing his thighs around Riku’s and buried his face in Riku’s neck. Riku exhaled shakily, trembling against Sora, and then Sora said, “ _Please_ ,” although he didn’t know what for. 

But it worked anyway, because Riku’s hands began to slide up and down his back, ruffling the fabric of his tank top, and it was _nice_. Sora let his entire body go soft and relaxed, just settling himself against the planes of Riku's chest, inhaling the smell of his soap in the curve of his neck.

“This is nice,” he whispered, a little surprised at the fact he sounded a little choked up.

Riku hummed above him.

“I love you,” Sora said because ever since he'd first said these three words last week, they were echoing around in his head practically every second of every day, and saying them out loud was always worth it. Especially when Riku shivered a little and buried his face in Sora's hair.

“I love you too,” Riku's voice was barely above a whisper, and Sora didn't know it was possible for words to carry so much emotion, but Riku managed. Then again, Riku was always good at everything.

Sora pulled back to make eye-contact, unsurprised when Riku's eyes were a little hazy and shiny. His own probably looked the same. Riku's hands stilled on the small of Sora's back, and for long moments they just _looked_ at each other. Then Sora licked his upper lip and dropped his eyes to Riku's mouth, tracking the curve of Riku's lips, soft and only a little chapped. When his gaze snapped back up, Riku's eyes were darker than before, and Sora smiled widely before falling into him.

Their kiss started slow and gentle, but then Riku made that special sound again, and his hands came up to tangle in Sora’s hair, and Sora was lost. They kissed and breathed and touched for what felt like hours, their hands mapping all the parts of each other’s bodies they could reach—shoulders and arms, faces and waists. Sora's lips turned swollen and sensitive, but still not a single part of him thought about stopping.

Through the haze in his mind, he hoped that Riku loved this as much as he did. That he wanted to touch Sora as much as Sora wanted to touch him, that he was _burning_ with the same need to be close, to see, breathe and smell nothing but _Sora_. The unexpected new depth of Sora’s feelings scared him sometimes, but not enough to stop doing any of this. 

Riku had said that they could figure out together what people did when they were in love.

And Sora realised with crystal clarity that he wanted nothing more.


	6. reach for me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The +1 Riku cuddle :)

It turned out that being boyfriends with Riku was the most natural thing Sora had ever done. It was as easy as breathing or eating or sleeping, it was something his body just _knew_ how to do. He knew when to hold Riku’s hand or when to give him some space to figure out his feelings. He knew when Riku just needed a hug or when he needed Sora to ramble for a bit, or when Sora needed to prompt him to talk about any of the million things that Riku was always thinking about.

When Master Yen Sid declared them fit enough for inter-world travel again, they flew over to Radiant Garden for a final check-up. To Sora's relief, after hours of tests and measurements, Ienzo declared them ‘as good as new’.

When they were back outside, squinting against the bright sunshine of the castle courtyard, Sora turned to Riku and said, “Let's take the Highwind and go, Riku. Just you and me.”

And Riku looked at Sora like he'd sprouted wings and a halo, blinking slowly through the myriad of emotions on his face (how Sora had missed the meaning of this particular look on Riku's face for so long, he'd never completely understand). “ _Yes_.”

Over the course of the next months, Sora learned so many things about Riku that he'd never known before. The way his eyes sparkled when they won a battle against Heartless, or how he didn't really care for piloting the gummiship (which was a very good thing, because Sora _loved_ piloting the gummiship). The fact that he'd grown to like spicy food, and that even though he was happy to let Sora do most of the talking when they investigated mysteries and Heartless crimes, he made more observations that Sora did—Riku always knew when people were lying or hiding something. Sora saw first-hand what he'd already known, how Riku threw his heart and soul into every Heartless fight, how graceful his movements were, and if Sora lost himself in watching Riku fight sometimes until a Heartless slammed itself into Sora's side, well. Those were bruises he'd gladly carry.

The realisation that was most startling, however—even though Sora had _hoped_ , maybe even suspected—was that Riku loved cuddling as much as Sora did. Even when Sora was still always the one to reach for Riku first, Riku reached back for him every time, without fail. Even Riku's split second of hesitation had disappeared now, and it made Sora feel safe and happy and _wanted_.

Sometimes they slept on the lower bunk in the cramped sleeping quarters, Sora on top of Riku's chest because it was the only way they fit on the single bed. It was much more comfortable than he'd initially guessed. Sometimes they slept outside in a tent, their sleeping bags zipped together, and it was warm and perfect, and when the sun started to creep through the tent cloth, Sora would wake first to see Riku bathed in glowing gold and wait patiently until Riku opened his eyes. Sora had never been known for his patience, but he had patience for _this_.

And then they'd kiss and kiss, and Sora would cling to Riku until the tent became too hot and stuff and his stomach contracted with the need for breakfast.

Sometimes they rented a room in an inn or got offered a room in a house or a castle. But without fail, Sora slept in Riku's bed every night, and when people offered them two rooms, Sora would smile brightly and say one was enough, enjoying the slight widening of eyes or the tiny smirks he received in return.

It was three months and eleven days of touring the worlds together before it happened. They were back in Corona to investigate reports of Powerwilds running rampant in the forests, and both of them were a little on edge because they hadn’t slept as well as they usually did. Their room at the inn was right above the busiest street in Corona Town, and there had been music and barking dogs and shouting until early morning. 

Still, they set out after breakfast, expecting nothing more than a routine job.

It wasn't.

The Powerwilds they encountered as soon as they set foot in the forest were massive, twice or even three times bigger than any Powerwild Sora had ever seen before. (It turned out later that some rogue merchant had been feeding them enchanted bananas to help them grow, in the hopes of catching them and selling them as rare Heartless.)

Sora was already running on little sleep, and combined with the fact that they were both wildly underprepared for fighting this unknown type of enemy, it turned into a very messy battle. Sora did twice as much dodging and blocking as he did attacking, and every time he defeated one of the Powerwilds, another seemed to take his place. He barely had time to glance up to see where Riku was fighting—a few feet away from him, holding his own, thankfully—before he had to focus on his own battles again.

It took them over two hours to take all of the Heartless out, a battle the length of which Sora hadn't experienced… since the final battle against Master Xehanort, he guessed. By the end of it, he could barely hold his keyblade, his shoulders screaming with pain, and his right wrist so sore that every hit and block took all his strength.

It was no surprise when one of the last Powerwilds caught him unaware, slinging him across the forest clearing and into one of the trees. Distantly, Sora heard Riku call his name before he felt his keyblade disappear from his grip. He managed to keep his eyes open, but barely.

Through the pain at the base of his skull, he watched Riku summon Thunderbolts to take out the last few enemies. Then he was across the clearing in a flash.

“Sora!”

“'M okay,” Sora mumbled, reaching for Riku. Riku hugged him gently, taking care not to squeeze him too lightly. “Let's not do that again.”

“Agreed,” Riku said, his hand curling in Sora's hair. It hurt a little, but Sora didn't have the heart to say so.

Then Riku kissed him, muttering Cura spells against his mouth until Sora’s entire body was tingling, and he was sure he was more alright than he’d ever been. Still, Riku kept kissing him, and used all his remaining magic on healing magic, until no more green petals bloomed between them. And even then, he kept holding Sora, and Sora held him back.

That evening, when Sora was seated against the headboard of their bed in another inn—one not in the direct centre of the town—half-dozing and half-wondering what world they should visit next, Riku sat down next to him. Their shoulders were pressed together, solid and warm, and Sora sighed.

The adrenaline of the battle had long faded, replaced by the quiet intimacy that always settled between them whenever they were alone.

Sora opened his eyes and smiled.

His eyes widened when Riku lifted his left hand and brought it up to cup Sora's cheek. One thumb swiped oh so gently underneath his eye, and Sora felt his eyes go soft and half-lidded.

“Riku…” he whispered, afraid that if he said anything more, their little bubble would burst.

And then, to Sora's surprise and delight, Riku turned to him fully, sliding both arms across Sora's shoulders, and pulled them together. Sora fell into him easily, willingly, letting Riku slide them both down onto the bed until Riku’s face was pressed in Sora’s shirt, and Sora was cradling Riku’s head, their legs tangled together.

Riku had touched him before—in fact, he touched him every _day_ —but he had never initiated _cuddles_ before. Something warm and light buoyed in Sora's chest, and it was suddenly hard to breathe around the feeling. He tightened his hold and started carding his fingers through Riku's hair, silky strands flowing through his fingers.

“It's okay,” Sora mumbled. “It's okay. I'm here. I won't leave you. I will never leave you again.”

A shudder passed through Riku’s body, into Sora’s, and Sora felt his eyes sting with affection and devotion and comfort and all the things he always felt around Riku. He had learned just how much Riku guarded his emotions, how only a few people could make him let his walls down; he had seen how Riku did everything he could to be strong for everyone around him, Sora included.

So the fact that Riku let himself be vulnerable for _Sora_ , had let himself reach for him and hug him… not for Sora's sake, but for his _own_ … Sora wanted that for Riku most of all. 

Riku didn't cry, but it took long moments before his breathing returned to normal and his grip on Sora's shirt became less desperate. And even then, he didn't pull away.

So Sora manoeuvred both of them underneath the blankets as well as he could, keeping his hold on Riku with his other arm. He held Riku and stroked his hair, his neck, his back, until he was sure Riku had fallen asleep.

The next morning, once they had gotten dressed and packed up, Riku turned to him.

Sora made a questioning noise, but instead of replying, Riku pulled him into a brief, but tight hug. Sora laughed into his chest, loud and _bright_ , wrapping his arms around Riku’s waist in return.

“You can always reach for me,” he said, muffled into Riku’s jacket, but still audible. “I’ll always reach back for you, as I know you’ll always reach back for me.”

Riku pulled away only enough to lean their foreheads together. His smile was so bright it lit up the entire room.

“I will,” he said. “I promise I will.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!! This 5+1 fic came to me because I couldn't let my "Lessons of Love" verse go, and I wanted to write some good old bed-sharing and cuddles as missing/additional scenes...
> 
> I hope you enjoyed these glimpses into their lives! If you did, a comment would mean the world to me <3333

**Author's Note:**

> Come talk to me about Sora and Riku on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/fortheloveinyou) :D


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